Adventures with Noah

Hi everyone,

It has been a year and a half since we last gave an update on Noah so this is long overdue! I can hardly believe it, but Noah has been a part of our family for almost four years. He has been with us as long as he was in Ukraine. We adopted him when he was almost four years old.

There were many who wondered whether adopting a child with such a significant disability was wise. Many wondered if adopting Noah would place an incredible burden upon us and our children. These were all understandable and reasonable questions and concerns. But, there is a God in heaven who made all things, who is gracious and kind, who calls us to visit orphans in their distress. He has helped us, provided for all our needs and given us strength in our weakness. While it has not always been easy, God has blessed us in innumerable ways and we are happy to report that God is faithful to his promises and Noah is doing great. He is growing, learning and continues to bring such joy to our family and everyone he encounters. We are so thankful for him! Noah has been attending his local public elementary school and started 2nd grade this year. Like his brother Andrew, Noah has the privilege of being included with his typical peers in the classroom and has an aide to help him. We are so thankful for his teachers, aides and the school staff that support him in this way.

The blessing of Andrew and Noah in our lives is further evidence of what the apostle Paul said to the Corinthians: "God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God" (1 Cor 1:27-29).

This video shows some of the fun we have been having with Noah and gives you a sense of his playful, joyful personality. We hope you like it!

Happy New Year!

Hi everyone,

Noah turned 6 in December. It is hard to believe he has been home with us now a little over two years. He just finished the fall term of kindergarten at our local public school and he is doing well. There have been challenges, but generally he is very social and enjoys school. We are so grateful that he is able to be in a general ed classroom with his typical peers thanks to a great principal who supports inclusion, his supportive teacher and his aide Lindsay who is a rockstar! She has helped him learn to say many of the letters of the alphabet. We are amazed!

Here is a little video highlighting some of the fun we had with Noah and the whole family over the last few months.

Update on Noah's New Life

Hi everyone,

Noah has been home about a year and a half now and he is doing very well. He just finished his first year of preschool and will be entering kindergarten in the fall. We've included pictures and videos which give you a sense of his personality, highlighting his interactions with his siblings. While Andrew, our biological child Down syndrome, is our most shy and introverted child, Noah is our most extroverted.. by a mile! He is so social, always interacting with strangers anywhere he goes. Noah has become such a joy and integral part of our family. We are so thankful to have him.

Enjoy!

Noah has been home 9 months now. Watch how he's been doing.

Noah has been home nine months now and he's doing great. We thought this would be a great time to post an update since Noah just went to preschool for the first time this week. He ran off and played like he owned the place! One of the most common questions we get asked is how does Noah get along with our other son with Down Syndrome, Andrew. They have become real buddies. This video highlights some of their hilarious interactions as well as how Noah is getting along with the rest of his siblings. I think you can really see his extroverted personality coming through.  See if you can watch it without cracking up. What is your favorite part?

Happy Valentine's Day! Noah has been home almost 3 months. Here is an update on his great progress.

The pictures below show what we have been up to over the last couple months with our newest little treasure. Noah is learning his new surroundings, getting to know his siblings and enjoying the beautiful weather here.  He is progressing very well and we are all learning how to communicate with each other. One of the most striking things we noticed within just a couple weeks was how Noah's skin and hair changed. When we first brought Noah home, his skin was very leathery and rough and his hair was stringy and course. This was likely due to some basic nutritional deficiencies.  In almost no time, his skin softened up and his hair looks and feels different. Also, when we first got him home, Noah would swipe at Julie's face when she held him. We noticed this behavior in the orphanage as well when Noah was held by orphanage workers. This behavior has almost completely disappeared since we got him home. We thank God for his mercies and kindness to us and to Noah.

This video traces our journey to Ukraine to rescue little Noah and bring him home to meet his family for the first time

Music by Chris Tomlin - "Amazing Grace"

An Orphan No More!

By God's grace, little Noah is an orphan no more! He is now home with his forever family and is doing amazingly well. In the coming weeks we will be posting updates here on our journey to the Ukraine including pictures and videos. For now, you can see a new post on the right about the new name that we gave our beautiful little boy.